RUI: Cortical Integration of Motion and Stereo Cues for a Moving Observer

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A person moving through the world must judge his or her own path of motion, locate moving objects and judge the direction of motion of those objects. In theory, the brain can accomplish these tasks using visual motion information as well as the depth information from binocular stereo vision. However, it is not known how these two sources of information are combined. In this project, a computational model of neural processing will be developed to investigate how the brain combines motion and stereo cues to identify moving objects for a moving observer. Concurrently, experiments will examine how moving observers use motion and stereo to identify and judge the 3D direction of motion of an object. The results of this research will provide needed information about how neurons combine motion and stereo cues to locate and judge the direction of moving objects for a person who is moving. This will increase our understanding of fundamental mechanisms of the visual system. It will be useful in understanding how drivers make judgments about the motion of cars or pedestrians as they drive on busy streets, which could aid policy decisions regarding drivers and traffic rules. Additionally, because the research will be conducted at an undergraduate college, its educational impact is substantial. Undergraduates will have an opportunity to participate in leading-edge scientific research and perform their own research projects. This will expose them to fields of scientific endeavor that they would not otherwise encounter during their college years. Recruitment of women undergraduates and other underrepresented minorities to engage in this research will be a priority. Finally, the results and examples from this research will be incorporated in a course in computational vision, taught by the PI, so that the results will be disseminated to students who did not work directly on the project.